5 Times Shrek Prepared Us for the E-Commerce Trends of 2019

Tucker

Shrek is one of the most important movies ever made. If you disagree with me, I’m more than happy to debate you on my Twitter account, but you’ll have to know that you’re just wrong if you disagree. But did you know that Shrek has real-life applications beyond the obvious “you do deserve happiness because you ARE good enough” theme — a theme that every person needs to remember, by the way? Whether or not it was intentional (it wasn’t), the Shrek franchise has illustrated five of the major e-commerce trends headed for us in 2019.

1. Voice Search

With the rise of devices like Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Home, more and more shoppers are purchasing goods by voice. Lord Farquaad was ahead of his time, as he used the Magic Mirror just like you would use Alexa, if you were seeking eligible royal bachelorettes, that is. According to Comscore, more than 50% of searches will be voice searches by 2020. That’s significant! If you don’t have an Alexa skill yet, you might think about getting one made.

2. AR and VR

In Shrek 2, Princess Fiona bemoans the fact that Shrek can’t seem to get along with her parents (and society as a whole). The villain of the film, The Fairy Godmother, appears to take advantage of Fiona in her hour of need. The Fairy Godmother sings a song, all the while showing Fiona magical apparitions of how her life could be better. Likewise, every e-commerce store should invest in AR and VR to “magically” show consumers what objects would look like in their homes. IKEA is implementing VR to show customers what that beautiful credenza would look like in that corner, or no, maybe that corner. Amazon seems interested in the same, as their relationship with Snapchat continues to grow. Coming up with a unique AR and VR experience can be a major factor in your sales in 2019.

3. Chatbots

In the first film, when Shrek and Donkey first arrive in Lord Farquaad’s fortress, Duloc, they encounter an automated welcome center that explains the rules of Duloc in a succinct, optimized way. So too will 2019 give rise to the Chatbot. As machine learning becomes better and better, chatbots will allow you to optimize your store and customer service experience when you can’t. They can aid customers, and predict pain points along the way, providing an excellent customer service experience, all while taking the worry off your shoulders.

4. Better Visuals

After drinking The Fairy Godmother’s “Happily Ever After Potion,” Shrek and Donkey magically transform into better looking, popular versions of themselves, with Shrek becoming a dashing human, and Donkey a true noble steed. While their changes were not to last, your store’s should be. Video is becoming more and more important in advertising, as viewing numbers on Facebook ads are increasing among other outlets. If your store boasts a beautiful experience, customers will be more likely to return. It’s time for a makeover.

5. Same Day Delivery

In the first film, Shrek was tasked with rescuing Princess Fiona and bringing her to Lord Farquaad. He could not guarantee same day delivery, but soon Amazon might be able to do so. They’ve just announced new headquarters in New York and Virginia that will allow better logistics and shipping than ever before, with the possibility of same-day delivery becoming very real. This may cause you to rethink your shipping times, as customers will for better or worse become more and more accustomed to speedy shipping.

Conclusion

These are obviously just trends, and I could be overlooking something massive, but these five trends seem to me to be the most important trends we’ll see in 2019. The infrastructure for these changes is already in place, it just needs to be activated. You and your store can adopt these now to be ahead of the trend, allowing you to be a true e-commerce all-star.